Tricks to Keep Exercising (Even when You Hate It)

I hate to exercise, but I love the results. Some days I have to dig deep to find the motivation to get up and exercise. And many of you have already lost your New Year's resolution motivation to get healthy via diet and exercise. These tricks will help get you up and moving and motivate you to keep exercising, even when you hate it.

Get Up and Move

So you sit and debate 10 minutes about whether or not you 'feel' like exercising. You probably will never 'feel' like exercising and you've just blown 10 minutes debating with yourself when you could have been moving your body. Just get up and move. Stretch, walk, dance, just move. Get up and move at least once an hour. Moving a little will motivate you to move a lot, while sitting saps your energy and motivation.

Baby Steps

We set high and lofty goals for ourselves, goals which are often unattainable and cause us to crash, burn and give up when we can't reach them. Take baby steps in exercising. Virginia Anderson of WebMD says to be realistic. Start out with a goal of walking 10 minutes or going to the gym every other day. Once you have consistently reached the 'baby step' goal, then set a higher exercise goal and keep it going until you are doing some form of exercise at least 30 minutes every day.

Get an Exercise Partner

Having an exercise partner is my biggest motivator. Knowing someone is waiting on me motivates me to get up and get going. And when it come to getting fit, your best friend might just be a four-legged one, according to Dorene Internicola of the National Post. A dog can motivate you to go for regular walks and walk longer and brisker.

Reward Yourself

Reward each week for yourself for a job well done when you have stuck with your exercise plan. Choose a non-food reward like a manicure or movie so you can break the cycle of turning to food for pleasure. Children are often rewarded with an ice cream cone for a job well done and that becomes ingrained in us, so as adults we reach for a sweet treat as a reward. Re-train your thinking with non-food rewards.

Take a Day Off

Everybody needs a day off, even professional athletes take a day off from training and practice. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or exhausted, take a day of the exercise to rest. Allowing the body and mind a day to re-cover will re-energized you to get back on the exercise track with a renewed commitment.

Sources:

My Own Experience

WebMd

National Post